some undated entries

Alice Cooper

Has anyone else noticed that Alice Cooper has a truly excellent speaking voice?

The media: Left-wing or right-wing bias?

Like many who have written on this topic before, I would argue that the bias of the mainstream media is generally independent of the left- or right-wing (with the exception of the obvious outlets such as Fox News), and are instead driven by the profit motive. But if we were to look at the motivation of the right accusing accusing the media of being liberal (i.e. left-wing), or vice-versa, I would suggest that what both sides are really saying is that neither one is happy unless their perspective is the dominant one. Despite calls from both sides for a free press, I don't see either the left- or right-wing being very interested in dissenting opinion. That is not to say, however, that news outlets, for the most part, do not leave out much of the news and discussion worth knowing and listening to. That's obvious. But once again, I would point that to the short attention span and intellectual laziness of the audience, coupled with the overwhelming obligations to advertisers.

Clarity of explanation and thought and its relationship to actual knowledge and understanding

Over time I have come to realize that you can decipher how well a person understands a topic by how simply and clearly they explain it. They know how to go from points A, to B, to C, and so on. That does not necessarily mean, however, that they are unaware of the nuances or are unable to delve into them. They simply possess a clarity of thought and aptly demonstrate it. But there are also those with a particular disposition that causes them to either rule out topics as being "too complicated" for their audience or habitually goes from points A, to G2, to B1, to C4, to X, and so on, to make their point. I suspect the latter individuals don't actually know what they're talking about and try to hide it behind a continuous barrage of blather in hopes of beating their audience into mental submission. I am afraid that, quite often, I fall into this latter category.  Whenever I say that something is really complicated or explain something in a very convoluted way (as I've described above), it is probably a dead giveaway that I don't know what I'm talking about.

Dissent and freedom of speech

The post-September 11th era for me seems to be the testing ground for the durability of the freedom of speech and the press in my short lifetime. There are others who have written extensively and more eloquently than I ever could on the subject, so I will simply offer a lesson drawn from one of many examples of my own experience and observations. When I spent time with some friends at an event to protest the bombing of Afghanistan in 2001, opponents of our dissent had things like this to say: "You know, our soldiers are fighting overseas to protect your right to do what you're doing!" The lesson to be drawn from this is a simple one: be happy to have the freedom of speech; just don't exercise it.

I dreamt of Bad Religion and Taco Bell

I remember that shortly after Bad Religion had signed to Atlantic Records years ago, I had a dream (a nightmare, really) that Bad Religion had started doing Taco Bell commercials. I don't think I could have imagined anything more upsetting to me at the time.

Being a unique victim

I feel that our collective inability to understand and cooperate with each other comes from, at least in part, the belief that each of us is some kind of victim and that the injustice acted upon us is somehow unique to other injustices -- the feeling that by not being me, no one else can relate to my pain. I'll offer to some popular examples to illustrate my point. If you accept Peter Novick's assertion in The Holocaust in American Life, American Jews have been able to politicize the Holocaust, implying (either subtly or overtly) that their suffering was unique within the human experience. American blacks have also politicized their centuries of injustice, characterizing their history of slavery, Jim Crow laws, their struggle to gain the most basic civil rights, and simple racial discrimination, as somehow unique. Women are also unique victims who have suffered second-class status, the denial of basic civil rights, and who currently struggle against those who wish to deny them certain rights in the workplace and the womb. The list can go on and on (the poor, the "whatever"-challenged, other racial minorities, homosexuals, etc). I am not denying the injustice suffered by any of these groups. Who could? Anyone with the slightest understanding of history has to acknowledge past wrongs and understand their impact on current situations (although it appears difficult for most people to avoid direct causal relationships, which is unfortunate and fundamentally ahistorical).

Through our effort to correct historical wrongs, however, we seem to have created a new and unlikely victim for our times: the white man. He appears to have lost power at home, in the university admission process, in the job market, at the workplace, and in his genitals. Men (particularly white men) have had their dominance attacked so furiously (though not necessarily successfully), that many need a pill to get it up now. My personal interpretation of this turn of events is this: white men grew too comfortable having all of the power, are now having to share some of that power, and do not like it one bit. Now, despite the tongue-in-cheek spirit of my writing, I cannot totally fail to acknowledge their feelings. I believe that victimization comes from the inside-out -- you are only a victim if you feel like one. White men all over this country have come to feel like victims -- and who can blame them when you look at it from their point of view? Do I really feel sorry for them? Okay, no, not really. But I have to at least acknowledge and engage their grievances, which I feel, to some degree, as legitimate.

Too much of this politicized victimization has little to do with justice or equality in my mind. Instead, I believe we are motivated by self-preservation, selfishness, and the desire for dominance. The reality is more nuanced than this, of course, but I believe these to be the key components. If we want to promote fairness, we need to be willing to understand others from their point of view -- to learn that our experience is a shared one, in which we all suffer or thrive together. In doing so, we will be able to conduct a more productive dialogue in which, instead of improving our lives at the expense others, we can learn to appreciate and exchange our values. We will be able to embrace the fundamental values of others as our own, because, deep inside, they were ours all along.

The pressure of being thin

It is difficult to open a magazine, pass a billboard, or watch one minute of television without being inundated with images of attractive and perfectly sculpted people who remind us that we are ugly and had better buy someone's products and services to help us more closely resemble Hollywood and corporate America's standard of manufactured beauty. This has become a serious problem in a country where the real education (i.e. the one that actually has an impact on their lives) of increasingly insecure people comes from advertising, and their chronic depression from living a meaningless existence is treated with fast food and snacks. Many people (particularly women, or, at least, it’s popularized that way) often resort to dangerous cosmetic surgical procedures or harmful eating disorders in order to keep up with these images of beauty. Media watchdogs and militant feminists, rightfully so, criticize the media for its endless exhibition of unrealistic female bodies that real women, especially young girls, are killing themselves trying to emulate. Good for them!

On the other hand, there are plenty of other women who try to look “their best” through a healthy regimen of diet, exercise, and sleep. Perhaps my personal experience has been with an unrepresentative sample of the American female population, but I have known many such females to be pressured into unhealthy habits that include binge drinking and eating, being told, “Oh, you worry too much!” Why are these women being told this? Is it because their friends are enlightened and see their body for what it really is: a mere illusory shell? No, they see their own health and appearance going into a downward spiral and they want to take their friends with them! Hey, if some of you women want to be sedentary, obese, and wait for that cholesterol-fighting drug to save your fat ass someday, be my guest. Your healthy friend is attractive because she has willpower and self-discipline. Don’t bring her down with you. Guys like me (I’m already taken, of course) are exercising regularly, trying to forge careers that result in decent incomes (to appeal to her shallow side), looking for women who care equally about looking good. Leave them alone! Go lecture the anorexic; she needs more help than your friend.

Rage Against the Machine

I love Rage Against the Machine -- they're a great and important band. But I'm a little confused about the audience of their song, "Take the Power Back." If you want to read the lyrics, they are easy enough to find on the Internet; but the title really says it all. Some other, less obvious, ideas dealt with in the song are indoctrination by the school system and the Eurocentric bias in the teaching of history. Fair enough. I guess the only problem I have is with the word, "back". Just who is he talking to? Non-whites? Women? The poor? Political dissidents? Since when did these people ever have power (at least in the way we mean when we say a person has power) in this country? The only people I can think of who would desire to take back power they feel they have lost are white guys. And I know Rage didn't mean them! Now, if Zack de la Rocha had just said, "We gotta take the power," I would have said, "right on!"

Television

My thinking on this is completely unoriginal, but I feel like expressing it. Although there is some good and informative television out there, most of it is shit. And although, in my perpetual loneliness and feeling of societal displacement, I am addicted to the hackneyed stories, the mind-numbing dialogue, and the attractive, witty people who remind me that I am boring and easy to ignore, I despise television. And I'm pretty sure all of those hours of watching television rather than reading has made me more dumber.

Elected officals and accountability

I believe that people, for the most part, will listen to those they work for. This tendency is based on the mostly correct assumption that listening to your boss will provide you benefits in the way that you will continue to have a job and enjoy things that cause you to enjoy your job even more. I believe this also applies to elected officials. Those who are inactive in civic life typically hold the belief that elected officials do not represent the wishes of the people. I would re-state the problem as simply being that elected officials listen to their bosses: people who finance their campaigns and work to make sure they are re-elected. These people are arguably a minority, but a powerful one. If one accepts the existence of an unrepresented majority, I would argue that they have the power to be the boss of elected officials. You can call your officials, write them letters, send them faxes, attend their consituency events, and most importantly, vote for or against them. People will generally listen to those to whom they will be held accountable. If we want elected officials to be accountable to us, they must be told in a clear fashion, that they are accountable to us. It involves a sacrifice in time, energy, and even money, but I believe it is worth it. Elected officials are some of the hardest working people I can think of. I would like them to work for me.

Public service

I agree with those who believe that public service is one of the most honorable things a person can do in life. Aside from the gratification one can receive from working towards the common good, it is also an opportunity for complainers to put their money where their mouth is. If complainers feels they are so smart, have all the answers, and can do a better job, then why not do it themselves? Although, right now, I'm wholly unprepared to take reponsibility for even keeping the ice cube tray full, I believe my life's purpose will eventually be defined by how I serve the public.

McDonald's and being put to death

If I were a convicted criminal and sentenced to death, I would like to eat McDonald's for my last meal. Then newspapers can write the following headline: "Man dies shortly after eating McDonald's."

The value of the golden shower

I have recently learned that lower-class Korean women in pre-modern times (and currently in some remote areas) maintained beautiful skin by washing their faces every night with their own urine (women with money would wipe their faces with sesame oil and honey). Apparently modern dermatologists have verified the scientific validity of this seemingly disgusting practice. As it turns out, urea helps retain moisture in dry, chapped skin. So ladies, if I happen to urinate on your face, please keep in mind that it is not an act of violence, but a misunderstood behavior simply intended to maintain the beauty of your skin. Let 'er rip!

Fashion magazines

Why the hell do we pay for fashion magazines? Don't advertisements make up, like, ninety-percent of the content? I know that magazines are very expensive to produce and that advertisers are the only reason why these things are able to be printed in the first place. But honestly, should we feel good about paying five bucks to look at a bunch of ads -- ads that compel us to buy more stuff? That's just weird.

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Copyright © 2002-2012 by Charles Ian Chun